Jeppesen has been experimenting with nothing less than a complete overhaul of how flight information is presented, with the assumption that some form of digital access and display device will serve as the platform and that aircraft will be connected electronically to a dispatch operation or its equivalent. Another tacit assumption is that NextGen and the implementation of ADS-B will be paralleling the Jeppesen development effort.
All manufacturers of auxiliary power units (APUs) make other aircraft components as well. Honeywell makes propulsion engines, among other things, Hamilton Sundstrand is just one small part of United Technologies, and Goodrich makes landing gear, nacelles and a whole catalog of system components. APUs provide electrical power, compressed air and, in some cases, hydraulic power, mostly while the airplane is parked and has no external power sources. APUs may also be capable of starting in flight to provide backup power when necessary.
It is not often that the NTSB issues a probable cause of “undetermined,” but such is the case with the loss of a Learjet 35A and its two-pilot crew on Jan. 5, 2010. The twinjet, configured for cargo operations, was maneuvering on a circle to Runway 34 at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) at 1327 local time when it stalled and crashed into the Des Plaines River some 1.3 mi. short of the threshold.
Fresh off its July fiasco, when interminable political squabbling led to temporary unemployment for tens of thousands of FAA employees and construction workers assigned to FAA-funded projects, Congress returns to Washington this month faced with the same issue that led to the shutdown: the need to pass long-term legislation to authorize the FAA's operation.
Aircell, Broomfield, Colo., appointed industry veteran Dennis Hildreth manager, OEM sales. He is responsible for managing the company's relationships with business aircraft manufacturers. Avantair Inc., Clearwater, Fla., announced that Stephen Wagman has joined the company as executive vice president, finance and operations. Aviation Research Group/US, Cincinnati, named Mark Wulber to the ARGUS PROS (Partners and Resources for Operational Safety) team as the director of audit programs for business aviation.
I was working on my second cup of coffee that Tuesday morning at 800 Independence, and reviewing some paperwork, when the phone rang. My wife, Lenore, was all business: “Go to the TV! Oh my God! It's unbelievable.”
When asked recently about the state of his used aircraft business, John Newton said Cessna's deliveries of previously owned Citations are 300% ahead of last year, and the order rate “is pretty consistent. I am feeling pretty good.”
Recent research reports published by corporate aviation information provider JETNET and J.P. Morgan's aerospace and defense analysts say there are some positive signs in the pre-owned aircraft market, but that a broad-based recovery has yet to take hold. In releasing first-half results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop and helicopter markets, Utica, N.Y.-based JETNET called 2011 a “year of correction.”
Flying Colours Corp., the Ontario, Canada-based interior completions specialist, says it is experiencing increased demand for midsize business jet refurbishments. Since the beginning of the first quarter, the firm has seen “a steady growth in orders,” particularly from Bombardier Challenger 300 and 604, Dassault Falcon 900 and Hawker 800 operators.
Garmin International has delivered the first Daher-Socata TBM 700 upgraded with the avionics maker's G1000 integrated flight deck. The airplane, which went to the French Ministry of Defense, is part of a contract to upgrade 27 TBM 700 aircraft that are in service with the French military. The cockpit modification has received both FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency approval.
Oliver Stone, a long-time broker with Texas-based Business Air International, is now the managing director of London-based Colibri Aircraft Ltd., a new firm that is offering aircraft acquisition, resale and asset consultation services. “My work was always based on being overseas, especially in London, so this takes advantage of being in the same time zone as a number of people who buy and sell aircraft,” said Stone recently.
Cessna is offering Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) upgrades for the Citation Ultra and Citation Encore. The STCed installation, which covers all Ultras and Encores serial number 260 through 750, includes dual Universal UNS-1Espw flight management systems certified for fully coupled WAAS LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) approaches.
Blackhawk Modifications, the Waco, Texas-based company that specializes in engine performance solutions for turboprops, has won an FAA STC for its powerplant enhancement package for the Cessna Caravan 208B.
Eclipse Aerospace Inc. (EAI) has completed a combustion liner recertification project that will enable its EA500 very light jet (VLJ) to return to its maximum certified service ceiling of 41,000 ft. EAI calls the FAA approval the last of a lengthy list of certification projects that the company has undertaken to fix problems and improve the aircraft since it bought the program out of bankruptcy in August 2009. The fixes are expected to increase the value of existing EA500s and set the stage for new production of the VLJ.
The Cessna 441 Conquest II's blend of over 300 kt. cruise speeds and top-notch fuel efficiency is stimulating buyer interest. In the past three years, the increasing price of jet fuel and the pressure to “go green” are causing some would-be used light jet buyers to reconsider high-performance turboprops instead. Cessna built 362 units from 1977 through 1986 and more than 300 aircraft remain in service. Midlife aircraft in good condition now command $1 million to $1.9 million.
“Time For Change” (AW&ST July 12/25, p. 50) presents a truss-braced wing design as a potential option in the field of research for fuel-burn reduction.
Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Ghost electrically powered vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) mini-UAV is making its debut at this week's Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International show in Washington. Weighing 9 lb., the tandem-rotor autonomous aircraft can fly for up to 30 min. on battery power and is designed for low noise and ease of use in urban warfare and special operations. IAI has also developed the Panther family of tilt-prop small VTOL unmanned aerial systems.
Few details about the merger are being disclosed, but if approved, it will create a company with more than 40,000 employees and operations to 115 destinations in 23 countries. The combined entity will be named LATAM Airlines Group, although the two companies will operate as separate brands.
After the hugely embarrassing two-week partial shutdown of the FAA, lawmakers are turning their attention to negotiations on a long-term reauthorization bill—something the agency has not had since 2007. However, that does not mean posturing on the Hill is being replaced with “Come, let us reason together.” Lawmakers return to town after the Sept. 5 Labor Day holiday with less than two weeks to agree to a long-term bill, pass the 22nd extension of the Airport and Airways Trust Fund authority or hit replay on the shutdown drama.
India is expected to pick two finalists among the MiG- 35, Dassault Rafale, EADS Eurofighter, Gripen, Boeing F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin F-16. A commercial bidding process will follow, with final selection expected by the end of 2011.
Inmarsat's decision to go with Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) for its Global Xpress deal marks a major step forward for the aerospace giant's goal to return in force to the commercial satellite business.The company will attempt to raise commercial satellite sales to 30% of the company’s space business within five years, up from 10% now.
Lockheed Martin's Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) is facing an existential threat on Capitol Hill. Senators are actively trying to end funding for the system and renegotiate the U.S. agreement to develop the missile with Italy and Germany. Rather than simply push back on the cuts, Lockheed Martin is making a run at the competition, arguing it will cost the government more in the long term to sustain Raytheon's Patriot missile system than to opt for Meads.
The next generation of unmanned aircraft could be today's systems, but linked in ways only now becoming possible, thereby enabling them to perform missions beyond their individual capabilities. Use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has grown during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but as the conflict draws down, services are seeking ways to make better use of their existing assets, recognizing that prospects for new systems are receding as budgets tighten.
